They’re being crushed by Nintendo and Microsoft in gaming, and Apple has made them irrelevant in portable music, but their revisions to their eReader line are sure to be a hit with anyone who doesn’t want to rent their books from Amazon.

The kicker: Sony is explicitly embracing open content and multiple sources. This is very smart, and very good for the consumer. (Let’s not give Sony too much credit though; given the Kindle’s position, it’s pretty much the only play left for Sony.) Oh, and now they’re also Mac-compatible out of the box.

Color me interested. They’ve even got a unit with an always-on 3G connection, just like the Kindle.